LYTLE CREEK - A brush fire that erupted in the Lytle Creek area Saturday destroyed three homes, threatened hundreds more, burned more than 1,500 acres, and forced evacuations and several road closures.

The fire, dubbed the Sheep Fire, started at 2:11 p.m., according to U.S. Forest Service officials.

The blaze forced evacuations of the Applewhite Campgrounds, Swarthout Canyon and the Happy Jack area as well as Mountain Lakes in the Lytle Creek area.

By late Saturday evening, 40 mph winds pushed the flames into a southern direction, a fire official said. Officials said Wrightwood was not threatened by the blaze.

A dispatcher at the U.S. Forest Service fire information line confirmed Saturday evening that three homes were burned in the Swarthout Canyon area.

The fire threatened approximately 300 homes. The area is largely rural and most residents live on large parcels of land where they keep animals such as horses.

"This is very dry, very willing to burn brush," said Jim Wilkins, public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.

Residents were evacuating all along Highway 138, Wilkins said. An exact number of evacuees was not immediately available. In some areas, CHP officers went door to door telling people they had to leave.

Amber Russell of Oak Hills braved the smoke to assist her father's fiancee.

"I came to help my dad's fiancee get animals out," she said. "I'm scared for the horses. Hope everyone can get their animals out because they are more important than things."

Ben Foster of Crestline was a curious onlooker.

"This is horrible. I'm running away," he said before getting into his car and driving off.

Not everyone heeded the evacuation.

Linda Patterson lives just off Highway 138. She has three horses and dogs on her property.

"I have news for them I'm not leaving," she said. "They better make a stand and fight."

The fire also forced evacuations south of Highway 138 to Hess Road.

Residents with livestock were asked to take larger animals to the San Manuel Ampitheater. Smaller animals can be temporarily housed at the Devore Animal Shelter.

Firefighters had the blaze five percent contained by 7:15 p.m.

Other road closures included the 15 Freeway to Highway 138 and Highway 138 to Highway 2, officials said.

There were 550 firefighters, nine air tankers, 57 engines and four helicopters battling the blaze.

A unified command consisting of San Bernardino County Fire, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management attacked the fire with water-dropping aircraft, engines and strike teams.